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We recently announced the upcoming availability of Adobe Access (formerly Flash Access) DRM protection for native iOS applications. So what does this mean for your workflow?

You can now finally reach a broad range of destination devices with a single, simple workflow, including Windows, OSX, iPad, iPhones, iPods, hundreds of Android smartphones and tablets (Android 2.2+), and televisions, including Samsung Smart TVs, TIVO and LG devices, and soon many more as part of project Primetime.

It not only saves you costs, but also provides a simple, robust DRM workflow, with a single content protection scheme.

2) HTTP delivery to target platforms (HLS to iOS, HDS to other devices)

3) License acquisition from a single Adobe Access server, no matter what the playback platform is

As part of Project Primetime, Adobe is focused on solving the fragmentation challenges video distributors are confronted with in 2012. This is the first step to provide a secure end-to-end video delivery workflow

Today, Adobe and Sony are excited to announce the winners of the ‘Adobe® AIR® App Challenge, Sponsored by Sony’. The contest launched in July to drive the creation of breakthrough Flash based apps powered by Adobe AIR for the Android-based Sony Tablet™ S and Sony Tablet™ P. The winners will receive a cash prize plus premium promotion* of their app for Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P via Sony’s Select App, the website with a shortcut icon on the tablets’ home-screen to highlight Sony-recommended Android™ apps.

Hundreds of entries were received from developers in eligible countries, including Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK and USA. The winning apps in five categories (excluding ‘MAX Public Favorite’) were selected by a panel of Adobe and Sony judges and industry experts. Submitted apps were judged based on quality and performance on Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P, innovation and creativity, and overall user experience. All apps are now live and available for download from Android Market™ – visit the links below. Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who submitted an app!

Transform your tablet into a useful stand with date & clock, weather forecast and top stories from more than 50 countries. (Announced last month at MAX 2011, Adobe’s annual developer and designer conference, based on a public vote from the ten applications selected for the Adobe MAX Showcase prizes).

The Android-powered Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P devices combine all of Sony’s innovations rolled into one including unique hardware, content and network services with seamless usability to create a world of engaging networked entertainment experiences.

Sony Tablet devices are distinguished by four key features that set them apart from any other tablets on the market. These include: optimally designed hardware and software, a “swift and smooth” performance, cross-device connectivity and network entertainment services including Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited, PlayStation® Store and Reader™ Store.

Sony Tablet S is optimized for rich media entertainment on its 9.4-inch touchscreen display and its unique asymmetric design allows for hours of comfortable use. With a powerful NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 mobile processor, the Sony Tablet S lets you enjoy the web as well as your favorite content and applications on its large, high-resolution screen and built-in Wi-Fi® compatibility means Internet connectivity virtually anywhere there’s a hotspot.

Available in 2012 exclusively on AT&T’s mobile broadband network, Sony Tablet P is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. With its revolutionary folding design and two 5.5-inch displays, it can easily fit into a pocket, purse or backpack. Sony Tablet P is both Wi-Fi and 3G/4G capable allowing users access to digital content including videos, games, and e-mail, while on the go, nearly anytime. Taking advantage of its unprecedented design, Sony Tablet P allows for dual screen functionality within specific applications, , such as playing games on one screen while using the other as a controller or reading e-mail on one screen while using the other as a software keyboard.

Adobe is all about enabling designers and developers to create the most expressive content possible, regardless of platform or technology. For more than a decade, Flash has enabled the richest content to be created and deployed on the web by reaching beyond what browsers could do. It has repeatedly served as a blueprint for standardizing new technologies in HTML. Over the past two years, we’ve delivered Flash Player for mobile browsers and brought the full expressiveness of the web to many mobile devices.

However, HTML5 is now universally supported on major mobile devices, in some cases exclusively. This makes HTML5 the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms. We are excited about this, and will continue our work with key players in the HTML community, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and RIM, to drive HTML5 innovation they can use to advance their mobile browsers.

Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer continue to develop Flash Player in the browser to work with new mobile device configurations (chipset, browser, OS version, etc.) following the upcoming release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook. We will of course continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations. We will also allow our source code licensees to continue working on and release their own implementations.

These changes will allow us to increase investment in HTML5 and innovate with Flash where it can have most impact for the industry, including advanced gaming and premium video. Flash Player 11 for PC browsers just introduced dozens of new features, including hardware accelerated 3D graphics for console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content protection. Flash developers can take advantage of these features, and all that our Flash tooling has to offer, to reach more than a billion PCs through their browsers and to package native apps with AIR that run on hundreds of millions of mobile devices through all the popular app stores, including the iTunes App Store, Android Market, Amazon Appstore for Android and BlackBerry App World.

We are already working on Flash Player 12 and a new round of exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high definition entertainment experiences. We will continue to leverage our experience with Flash to accelerate our work with the W3C and WebKit to bring similar capabilities to HTML5 as quickly as possible, just as we have done with CSS Shaders. And, we will design new features in Flash for a smooth transition to HTML5 as the standards evolve so developers can confidently invest knowing their skills will continue to be leveraged.

We are super excited about the next generations of HTML5 and Flash. Together they offer developers and content publishers great options for delivering compelling web and application experiences across PCs and devices. There is already amazing work being done that is pushing the newest boundaries, and we can’t wait to see what is still yet to come!

Danny Winokur is the Vice President and General Manager of Interactive Development at Adobe

– Flash-based apps live on Samsung SmartTVs; LG and TiVo latest partners to support AIR on TVs, digital home devices

– Adobe enters into an agreement to acquire Nitobi, creator of PhoneGap

Adobe MAX is in full swing in LA and CTO Kevin Lynch kicked off today’s opening keynote. You can tune into the keynotes on both days live and on-demand through MAX Online. Here’s a rundown of the Flash, AIR, and HTML5 news:

Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 will be available for download tonight at 9:00 p.m. PT for desktops and supported mobile platforms, including Android and the Amazon Marketplace. A production release with support for 3D for mobile platforms is expected to ship in an upcoming release. As we recently announced, dozens of new features allow developers to deliver a new class of gaming and premium video experiences, as well as sophisticated, data-driven apps with back-end systems integration across devices and platforms including Android, Apple iOS (via AIR), BlackBerry Tablet OS, Mac OS, Windows and connected TVs and others. For more specifics on new features like 3D support visit the AIR and Flash Player Team Blog. For more details about amazing 3D apps already available today, visit Adobe’s Gaming Solutions site or check out our demo video (link below)

Demo video of Flash-based apps with 3D graphics and others running on a Samsung Smart TV and other devices:

We are also thrilled to announce that Flash-based entertainment apps are available on Samsung Smart TVs today and that LG and TiVo have become the latest partners to bring Flash based apps to connected TVs and digital home devices. With more than 100 unique digital home devices already certified to support Flash and AIR, we expect rapid growth for Flash based apps across connected TVs. New gaming apps like Frima Studio’s Zombie Tycoon, VH1’s ‘I Love the 80’s’ Trivia or Raider from PlayJam, as well as premium video experiences from SnagFilms, Flingo, EPIX and others are just a few of the apps powered by AIR. Also, check out what some of our partners have announced around Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 including a demo of new 3D apps shown at MAX:

We are also excited to announce an agreement to acquire privately held Nitobi Software, the creator of PhoneGap and PhoneGap Build. PhoneGap is a popular open source platform for easily building fast, cross-platform mobile applications with HTML5 and JavaScript. With PhoneGap, Adobe will offer developers the choice of two powerful solutions for cross-platform development of native mobile apps, using HTML5 and JavaScript with PhoneGap or using Flash with AIR. The acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of October 2011.

Adobe also released a third public preview of Adobe Edge, the new HTML5 web motion and interaction design tool that is bringing beautiful animation to websites and mobile apps using HTML, JavaScript and CSS capabilities. The new release contains innovative interactivity features and other additions based on feedback from the development community, and helps content creators easily deliver a new level of visual richness to HTML5-only websites and mobile apps.

Follow MAX from Wherever You Are

This is only part of the day one news at Adobe MAX, but things are off to an exciting start! For all the news, visit the Adobe Conversations Blog. You can follow MAX online through the keynote video streams, Facebook, Twitter (#AdobeMAX) and YouTube. There’s even a live radio and podcast stream from the show floor, courtesy of Nerd Radio and CodeBass Radio so tune in. We’ll have more news from MAX this week so check back to the Flash Platform Blog for updates!

We’re very excited to announce the Adobe MAX Showcase App winners, part of the Adobe AIR App Challenge, Sponsored by Sony! These ten individuals submitted working versions of their AIR apps earlier this month, and a number of them have already been submitted via Android Market to run on the new Sony Tablets S (available now) and Sony Tablet P (coming soon). They have also won a full conference pass and paid travel to MAX and qualify for the MAX Public Favorite vote prize of $10,000 plus additional prizes.

Here’s the prologue to a five-episode story called “Two Will,” featuring the new Sony Tablets:

If you happen to be at MAX, be sure to check out their apps at the Adobe AIR App Challenge, Sponsored by Sony booth in the MAX Community Pavilion. The winners themselves will be presenting and demoing their apps in the booth on Mon Oct 3 6:00-8:00pm PST and Tues Oct 4, 12:30-2:00pm PST. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite app to win the MAX Public Favorite prize of $10,000. Cast your vote by 6:00pm PST on October 4 here! And here are your MAX Showcase Apps and developers:

Age of Defender, CUKETA: A multiplayer tower defense game, where you can protect your base and conquer your opponents.

Don’t worry—it’s not too late to submit for the Adobe AIR App Challenge and win up to $200,000 in total cash prizes plus featured app promotion on the Sony Tablets! To be selected as a finalist, be sure to submit your app or app project by Oct 10. For more information, visit http://www.airappchallenge.com/. Good luck!

If you’ve visited our Flash Platform Facebook Page recently, you may have noticed a new addition (in the left navigation) – Adobe Flash Rocks Facebook Tab. This new tab is the destination to showcase and submit amazing multiplatform mobile apps created with Adobe Flash Platform technologies – and give credit to the awesome developers who created them. We’ve aggregated the awesome apps we’ve been sharing on our ‘Flash Rocks Fridays’ so check them out and submit more! You don’t need a Facebook account to use the Tab — simply visit www.flash-rocks.com.

Submitting applications is easy. Simply fill out the form on the tab (i.e., provide your project URL, a brief description, contact details and an image), and it will be submitted to our team. Once approved, your applications might get featured in the ‘Gallery,’ where Fans can vote for their favorite projects using Facebook’s ‘Like’ functionality. The five most ‘Liked’ applications will be given special recognition at the top of the Tab in a section entitled, ‘The Five Most Rockin’, so there’s definitely an opportunity for your app to be highlighted!

What’s more, we’re going to be featuring a few of the submitted apps at MAX this year at the MAX Entertainment Lounge in the Community Pavilion. Swing by, check it out, and submit an app. You could score a 15% discount coupon redeemable at the Adobe.com store if you have a mobile app that is (or will be) available on at least two platforms – Android, iOS and/or BlackBerry Tablet OS!

Also, if you’re attending MAX in LA next week, be sure to stop by our Flash Jeopardy game show on Tuesday, October 4 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the MAX Entertainment Lounge inside the Community Pavilion. We’ll be pitting members in our development community against one another to see who reigns as our Flash expert!

Today, we’re excited to announce that Adobe Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 will be launching in early October. These milestone releases introduce the next generation of the technologies that deliver stunning content and apps to over a billion people — across screens including Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry PlayBook, Windows, Mac, and connected TV devices — pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the web.

Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 take these even further by introducing Stage 3D, a new architecture for hardware accelerated graphics rendering that delivers 1000x faster rendering performance over Flash Player 10. It enables new classes of console-quality games and immersive apps, such as Tanki Online and Zombie Tycoon (see videos below). Stage 3D enables content that efficiently animate millions of objects on screen, smoothly rendered at 60 frames per second — the result is fluid, cinematic app and game experiences. Additionally, these releases deliver new features to support theater-quality HD video, native 64-bit optimizations, high-quality HD video conferencing, and a powerful, flexible architecture for leveraging native device and platform capabilities. We’re turning the dial up.

Building Blocks

Flash began with a few bits of colored plastic, inspired by experiences of playing with LEGOs as kids. Over 15 years, Flash has provided some of the most creative building blocks for designers and developers, pushing innovation and helping the web to evolve and iterate at a rapid pace defined by creativity. Flash made fluid animation an integral part of the web, defining our modern expectations for smooth, animated user interfaces. And since then, Flash has made features such as rich typography, beautiful interfaces leveraging dynamic vector and raster graphics, dynamic synchronized audio playback, advanced scripting, and seamless HD video mainstream — not just as experiments waiting to reach the world, but capabilities accessible to virtually every connected computer on the Internet. Many of the capabilities that Flash pioneered have over time moved into web standards and browsers, and will continue to do so as Adobe works closely with the web standards community and continues to develop products that support and advance HTML5. Piece by piece, Flash has enhanced and upgraded what’s possible for over a billion people on web, and Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 continue that tradition.

The Next-Generation Console Has Arrived

Today, approximately 70% of web games are powered by Flash, along with 9 of the top 10 games on Facebook, about 70% of the games on Google+, and the top social games from companies like Zynga and EA. Games at their best are fluid, immersive experiences, and the unmatched consistency of Flash Player allows game developers to focus on making great games rather than fight fragmented technology. Games just play. And play big: Flash Player brings an audience over 11 times larger than that of the best-selling current generation game console.

Flash Player 11 is the next-generation console for the web: now with Stage 3D (codenamed “Molehill”), it provides a consistent platform for gorgeous games and rich engaging content — hundreds of millions of users will be able to instantly upgrade to a whole new level of games on the web with a simple update, ready to experience amazing games using Stage 3D when they come to market later this year and early 2012. With stunning hardware accelerated graphics, mature dynamic audio, immersive full screen, native support for mouse/multi-touch/camera input, low-latency peer-to-peer multiplayer networking, full HD 1080p video playback, and high-quality voice chat, Flash Player provides the building blocks for incredible games.

Everyone wins. Content using the new Stage 3D APIs will automatically take advantage of modern GPU hardware, from integrated graphics chips to the most advanced high-end graphics cards, to provide incredibly fluid graphics — and Stage 3D also provides accelerated software rendering for content on older computers (yep, even mom’s old PC with Windows XP), where it runs up to 2-10x faster than software rendering in Flash Player 10. In other words, all computers with Flash Player 11 can benefit from the accelerated performance of Stage 3D. And game publishers can also package their Flash technology-based apps using AIR to deliver them across Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry PlayBook, Windows, Mac, and connected TV devices. To learn about some of the benefits of the Flash Platform for game publishers, check out the new Adobe Gaming Solutions page at www.adobe.com/go/gaming.

Hear more about the Stage 3D accelerated graphics architecture from the Flash Runtime team:

Adoption of new Flash Player releases has been accelerating — nearly half of the web upgrades Flash Player within four weeks of a new release — so websites can expect that many of the over 1 billion people with Flash Player will be able to reap the benefits of Stage 3D soon, bringing modern GPU hardware acceleration to more people on the web than any other technology. The efficient Stage 3D architecture was designed from the ground up with resource-constrained mobile devices in mind — the full, optimized rendering model will be supported on smartphones and tablets as well, and we’re making this support available in a private prerelease.

Combined with high-level graphics frameworks built on Stage 3D, including a range of specialized, optimized third-party graphics frameworks and game engines, Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 make incredible graphics performance everywhere accessible to a range of developers, whether they’re building rich 3D visualization apps or sophisticated, expressive games. Some of these great frameworks include Alternativa 3D, Away 3D, Flare 3D, Minko, and Yogurt 3D. Adobe will also soon make a 3D framework technology preview called Proscenium available on Adobe Labs. Proscenium will allow developers using Flash Builder to rapidly prototype experiences focused on simple content interaction and display, whether for simple games, visualization, or high-quality rendering of small object collections.

And we’re especially delighted to announce Starling, a flexible, lightweight framework for 2D graphics and animation that combines the simplicity of Flash with the incredible power of modern hardware accelerated graphics provided by Stage 3D. The Starling Framework is a free and open source ActionScript library designed to be instantly familiar to developers and designers using the traditional Flash display list. Starling and Stage 3D in Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 enable easy intuitive GPU-accelerated graphics programming for everyone. Beautiful is now simple.

Particle effects with Starling and Stage 3D in Flash Player 11:

Rolling Forward

We’ve seen lots of momentum with Flash Player and AIR, especially in these areas:

Gaming: Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 allow game publishers to instantly deliver engaging games to anyone with a PC, tablet, smartphone, or connected TV. And with Stage 3D, game publishers and developers can take their games to a new level, creating new opportunities for game developers and publishers to deliver and monetize their content. Two of the many upcoming games leveraging Stage 3D include Tanki Online and Ultimate Race Championship.

To experience a tablet game with Flash today, check out Machinarium, an award-winning puzzle and adventure game for the iPad 2 that within one day became the #1 game on iTunes in the U.S. and 12 other countries, #1 app overall, and “iPad Game of the Week” — and it’s coming soon for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook (play a demo right in your browser with Flash Player). Visit the Flash Game Technology Center to learn more about building games with Flash. And check out this short video on Machinarium and upcoming Stage 3D -enabled content

Snapping Key Pieces in Place

Some of the other benefits coming with Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 include:

A fully modern architecture. Flash Player 11 delivers full native 64-bit support for 64-bit browsers on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows, while also leveraging advanced processor optimizations to deliver additional performance.

Simple, instant app install. Developers can package their apps with AIR 3 as a captive runtime for one-click, seamless installs on Android, Windows, and Mac OS (in addition to iOS) without any additional runtime download.

And there are dozens more new capabilities in Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 that web and app developers will be able to take advantage of to create beautiful new experiences. Check out our press release and Labs release notes to see the complete list of what’s new, and we’ll be highlighting more of these features in the future (and even more at Adobe MAX). We look forward to delivering the release versions in early October, and if you want to get your hands on them now, you can download the release candidate versions from Adobe Labs today. With Flash Player 11 and AIR 3, we’re providing some amazing new building blocks. We’re thrilled to see what you create with them.

We expect Windows desktop to be extremely popular for years to come (including Windows 8 desktop) and that it will support Flash just fine, including rich web based games and premium videos that require Flash. In addition, we expect Flash based apps will come to Metro via Adobe AIR, much the way they are on Android, iOS and BlackBerry Tablet OS today, including the recent number one paid app for the iPad on the Apple App Store, Machinarium, which is built using Flash tools and deployed on the Web using Flash Player and through app stores as a standalone app.

Adobe is about enabling content publishers and developers to deliver the richest experiences for their users, independent of technology, including HTML5 and Flash. We are working closely with Microsoft, Google, Apple and others in the HTML community to drive innovation in HTML5, to make it as rich as possible for delivering world-class content on the open Web and through App Stores.

We are excited about the innovation and opportunities that are available to our customers and Adobe as the web and platforms evolve across devices, including Windows 8 and Metro.

We’re very excited to announce that Machinarium, an award-winning, point-and-click adventure and puzzle game developed with Flash technology is now the #1 iPad app in all paid categories in the U.S. and 12 other countries after just one day! This popular app comes on the heels of other top rated, Flash-based apps on iTunes, Android Market and BlackBerry AppWorld like Politifact (#1 news app on iTunes, Top 100 app in all of iTunes), Dr Stanley’s House (#1 most popular gaming app on iTunes China) and apps from ESPN, Coca-Cola, Facebook, California Academy of Sciences and others.

Previously available as an in-browser game on desktops via Flash Player, Machinarium was ported as a Flash-based app for the iPad 2 and is coming to Android Market and BlackBerry AppWorld soon – all with the power of Adobe AIR. Machinarium is gaining traction worldwide as the top app in iOS App Stores in several other countries as well, and is also the iPad Game of the Week. The game was designed by Amanita Design in the Czech Republic and one of our gaming evangelists, Tom Krcha, has posted an interview on his blog with Machinarium designer and director, Jakub Dvorský. Check it out, and you can download the game here!

If you submit working versions of your apps by Sept. 16, they could be selected as an Adobe MAX Showcase App and you could win a full conference pass, paid travel to MAX in LA (Oct. 1-5), qualify for the MAX Public Favorite vote prize of $10,000 plus additional prizes. All app or app project submissions are due by Oct. 10 in order to be selected as a Finalist. Submit your AIR apps for the App Challenge and you could win $200,000 in total cash prizes plus premium promotion on “Sony Tablet” devices.

We’re also excited to announce the judges on board for the App Challenge. They’ll be reviewing apps submitted in the various categories (Entertainment, Lifestyle & Community, Games, Business & Productivity, and Innovation) and selecting the winners. Here they are…show ‘em what you’ve got and good luck!

Since establishing Favourite Website Awards in the UK in May 2000, Ford has been focused on showcasing digital innovation from pioneering creative individuals and agencies across the world. His hands-on approach has ensured that the best digital work of the last 11+ years always gets the exposure it deserves. He also oversees the other FWA showcase sites for mobile and photography and has two bestselling books under his belt. Prior to FWA, Rob worked for companies including Halifax PLC and American Express.

O’Dell brings 11 years of experience in journalism into her work in technology. As a daily writer for some of the most popular and influential technology blogs on the web, including ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, and VentureBeat, she has spent extensive time and research on the mobile and web development industry, focusing on startups as well as on the titans of the industry, such as Facebook and Google.

Gough is the leader of Adobe’s Experience Design Team (XD), an internal design practice focusing on the next generation of digitally enabled experiences. A longtime advocate for quality in all digital experiences, he has been pushing the digital envelope for years. Previously, Gough was the Chief Creative Officer at Macromedia, Vice President of Brand Design at Nike, the Chief Creative Officer of Quokka Sports, and the Creative Director of Construct.

Liversidge is responsible for the definition and execution of Adobe’s Media Solutions strategy, covering Digital Publishing, Video Solutions as well as Mobile/Device partnering. During his 16 years at Adobe, he led the marketing efforts in North America, Asia, UK and Western Europe as well as product marketing for Adobe Acrobat. Prior to joining Adobe, Liversidge was a business manager at Computer 2000 and he held marketing roles at JVC Systems and Summagraphics.

Hideyuki Furumi, VP Business Planning and Strategy Division of the VAIO and Mobile Business Group, Sony

Furumi is responsible for overseeing Sony’s worldwide marketing, product planning and business development for PC, Tablet, Walkman and Reader products. He has 25 years of experience at Sony, which includes marketing and business management of multiple consumer electronics and IT products—plus 17 years of assignments overseas throughout South East Asia, Europe and North America.

Makoto Ishii, General Manager of Product Planning, VAIO and Mobile Business Group, Sony

Ishii is responsible for Sony Tablet product planning, business strategy and business creation with strategic partners. During his 19 years at Sony, Ishii’s roles have included R&D, engineering and system architect for IT area products, as well as project manager for the development of Sony’s communication-related products. After completing his education at MIT Sloan School of Management, he also covered business strategy for new business areas around IT technology experiences.

UPDATE: Please note that due to the need for early access to pre-release prototypes, the contest is only open to submissions from the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the UK. For complete rules, visit http://www.airappchallenge.com/rules.php.